NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Black Iguana
Ctenosaura similis (Gray, 1831)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Ctenosaura similis, commonly known as the black iguana or black spiny-tailed iguana, is an iguanid lizard native to Mexico and Central America. It has been reported in some Colombian islands in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, and has been introduced to the United States in the state of Florida. The largest species in the genus Ctenosaura, it is commonly found in areas such as grasslands and forests.
Wikipedia contributors, Ctenosaura similis; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:55:49.951789+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Ctenosaura similis (Gray, 1831)
- Name authority
- (Gray, 1831)
- Common name
- Black Iguana
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Iguanidae
- Genus
- Ctenosaura
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderIguania
- familyIguanidae
- genusCtenosaura
- speciesCtenosaura similis (Gray, 1831)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Ctenosaura. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| San Esteban Spinytail IguanaCtenosaura conspicuosa Dickerson, 1919 | IguanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Yellow-backed Spiny-tailed IguanaCtenosaura flavidorsalis Köhler & Klemmer, 1994 | IguanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Baja California Spiny- tailed IguanaCtenosaura hemilopha (Cope, 1863) | IguanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nolasco Spiny-tailed IguanaCtenosaura nolascensis Smith, 1972 | IguanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oaxaca Spiny-tailed IguanaCtenosaura oaxacana Köhler & Hasbun, 2001 | IguanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Roatan Spiny-tailed IguanaCtenosaura oedirhina de Queiroz, 1987 | IguanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Guerreran Spiny-tailed IguanaCtenosaura pectinata (Wiegmann, 1834) | IguanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Five-keeled Spiny-tailed IguanaCtenosaura quinquecarinata (Gray, 1842) | IguanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Northeastern Spinytail IguanaCtenosaura acanthura (Shaw, 1802) | IguanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Baker's Spinytail IguanaCtenosaura bakeri Stejneger, 1901 | IguanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Balsas Armed LizardCtenosaura clarki Bailey, 1928 | IguanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cape Spinytail IguanaCtenosaura macrolopha Smith, 1972 | IguanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Ctenosaura completa Bocourt, 1874 Bocourt, 1874 | synonym |
| Iguana | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Ctenosaura&species=similis Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3276T. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.